Academically she’s a scholar student-athlete who sits near the top of her class with a 4.0 GPA. She’s also an active leader as she’s the standing President of the Clare High School student body.

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Athletically, Kunse has also made a name for herself on the basketball court as she’s become one of the most versatile post players in the state of Michigan in recent years.

Need points in the paint, well then get the ball to Kunse on the block. Need a long-range three-pointer, well then find Kunse on the perimeter.

In short one Natalee Kunse is the physical embodiment of what a person can achieve if they work hard and chase excellence over a long period of time.

On Tuesday night years and years of hard work on the hardwood came back stamped ‘paid in full’ for Kunse as she became just the fifth girls basketball player in school history to reach 1,000 career points. Kunse came into the game versus LeRoy Pine River with 998 career points and passed the 1,000-point plateau with 6:28 left in the first quarter when she drained a three-pointer. She led the Pioneers (10-7) with 20 points and five rebounds in a 56-28 victory over the Bucks (9-8).

“My seventh grade year I watched Lindsay Winter do it, and now, to be in that group, it feels awesome,” said Kunse, who averages 14 points per game for the Pioneers. “I could not have done this without my teammates, coach (Kevin) Richards and my parents. They have all be so supportive and I owe a lot of this to them.”

Knowing that she needed only two points to make history Kunse wasted little time in getting it done as she hit her first shot of the night from downtown to tie the game at 3-3.

“I have been working at this for four years so I wasn’t nervous about getting it, it’s just another game,” said Kunse, who will play basketball at Trine University starting this fall. “I just wanted to get it out of the way and get the win, that’s what mattered most.”

For Richards, who’s coached Kunse for the past five years, the fact that his star player joined an elite club wasn’t too surprising.

“She’s earned it,” said Richards. “She works harder than anybody I have ever coached both on the court and off of it. I’ve known her since she was a little kid and have been able to watch her grow up. I couldn’t be happier for her because she deserves this.”

As for the game itself the Pioneers took a 19-8 lead at the end of one quarter and led 28-15 at the half. They put it away in the third via a 19-6 run.

Kunse led all scorers with 20 points and had five rebounds. Ellie Johnson added in nine points and four steals while Peyton Hubel had eight points and Lainey Veenkant had three assists.

About the Author

Jim Lahde has been with The Morning Sun sports department since 1997 and has been its Sports Editor since 2006. The Wixom native has covered everything from Little League to the big leagues. Reach the author at jlahde@michigannewspapers.com
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